Melody 2018
Melody 2018 'was the 62nd edition of the Osklandic music competition Melody, which selected Oskland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The competition was organised by Oskland Vision (OV) and took place over an eight-week period between 3 February and 24 March 201 The format of the competition consisted of 8 shows: 6 semi-final rounds, a face off round and a final. An initial 42 entries were selected for the competition through three methods: an open call for song submissions, direct invitations to specific artists and songwriters and an online competition organized by the international help organization THE HOPE together with OV. The 42 competing entries were divided into eight semi-finals, with seven compositions in each. From each semi-final, the songs that earned first and second place qualified directly to the final, while the songs that place third and fourth proceeded to the Face Off round. The bottom three songs in each semi-final got eliminated from the competition. An additional six entries qualified from the Face Off round to the final, bringing the total number of competing entries in the final to 18. All 8 shows were hosted by Givani Toran (Singer, TV Host), Helena Benno (Comedian) and Irita Skilli (Singer, Actress). 'Format Melody 2018, organised by Oskland Vision(OV), was the twenty first consecutive edition of the contest in which the competition took place in different cities across Oskland. The six semi-finals were held at the Bo Arena in Boholm, the Blue Arena in Ermastad, the Oskar Bank Arena in Oskstad, the Gloria Arena in Star-City, the Capulus Centre in Moba and the CBO Arena in Storö. The Face Off round at the Kerstiana III Arena in Kerstholm and the final at the Hand Arena in Oskholm. An initial 42 entries competed in the semi-finals, with seven entries taking part in each show. The top two entries from each semi-final advanced directly to the final, while the third and fourth placed entries advanced to the Face Off round. The bottom three entries in each semi-final were eliminated. An additional six entries qualified for the final from the Face Off round, bringing the total number of competing entries in the final to 18. 'Presenters' In December 2017, it was speculated by Osklandic tabloid Kvällspressen that Giovani Toran would be the only presenter of this year's competition. Later on in December it was rumoured that Helena Benno would also be a host. On 8 January 2018, OV confirmed that the two plus Irita Skilli would be the hosts of the competition. Benno hosted the competition in 2009 and Skilli has participated as an artist in the 2003 contest. Competition Schedule Competing Entries Edit Semi-Finals Edit As in previous years, Melody commences with six semi-finals, which determines the twelve entries that advances directly to the final and the twelve entries that qualified to the Second Chance round. Semi-final 1 Edit The first semi-final took place on the 2nd of February 2019 at the Oskaut Arena in Swerriggstad. A total of 449 340 910 votes were cast throughout the show with a total of 987,900 OKR collected for THE HOPE. The viewing figures for the semi-final was 197,100,000.